Monday, August 25, 2014

The National Book Festival is jam-packed full of fun stuff for kids and teens. One example is the schedule―full of author events. Events for children and teens take place throughout the day (Saturday, August 30).

To make the festival even more accessible, the Library of Congress has created a webpage for Kids and Teachers. This online resource allows users to search by author, color bookmarks (past and present), participate in the Eye Spy activity for this year's festival poster, and much more.

The Funding Alert is a weekly electronic bulletin produced by the Office of Partnerships and Grant Services that highlights competitive grant opportunities and related resource announcements for eligible community, faith-based, and 501 (c) (3) nonprofits organizations, as well as local government agencies.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Recent events in Ferguson, MO involving the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown have prompted a range of emotions in the U.S. To support DCPS teachers who wish to integrate this teachable moment into their classrooms, resources have been developed.

DC Kids Ride Free on Bus Program Guidelines (effective August 18, 2014 to June 30, 2015)When traveling to and from school, Monday to Friday, students can FLASH their DC One Card during the regular free hours (5:30 am to 8 pm). Students must use a registered DC One Card to get their FREE pass uploaded to their card.

The 2014-2015 School YearStudents should keep their DC One Cards they had received during the last academic year and summer session. If students lose their DC One Card before the start of the 2014-2015 school year, they must obtain another one before school starts. Students can register their DC One Cards and check their 2014-2015 eligibility as early as Monday, August 18, 2014.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The Department of Health will premiere the new youth social marketing campaign #ShowOff at the Trillectro Music Festival Saturday, August 23 at Noon at RFK Stadium (2400 East Capitol St NE).

#ShowOff is a youth empowerment campaign that encourages DC youth to show off their talents, interests, and the positive things they do in their homes, schools, and communities through social media and peer-to-peer engagement.

The music video titled, "DC Made Me (ShowOff)" reflects the positive message of being proud of who you are and being young in DC. #ShowOff selected 17 year-old Jason Goolsby a.k.a Kid Kwesi (@IAMJKIDD97) and 15 year-old Demi Stratmon a.k.a Demi the Dancer to record a song and film a music video with a local producer and management company.

Next, the youth had the opportunity to learn how to use very cool equipment. Finally, they got to learn all kinds of useful science stuff. And by stuff we mean environmental computing, cloud computing, sustainability, water quality, climate change, engineering design and mobile technologies.

2014 Summer Bridge STEM Course Concludes walks readers through the highlights of the program. Perhaps the most interesting part of the summer was the work the young people did on their capstone projects.

The projects were:

Nathnael Eshetu and Heran Tatek: Solar Power for Food, Energy and Water (evaluating the potential benefit of photovoltaic power at Muirkirk Farm

The post is an interesting read and you'll learn about all the cool things College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences does with students, faculty and the community for the benefit of us all.

More than 100 middle schoolers spent time in New Hampshire this summer as part of the College Success Foundation's Higher Education Readiness Opportunity (HERO) program. According to the story on fosters.com, DC kids experience NH coast, the students visited colleges and universities and spent time at the Seacoast Science Center "learning about intertidal ecology, forest ecology, sharks and geology."

From the online story:

According to HERO Advisor William Walker, "We want to push these kids out of their comfort zones; to broaden their horizons. Getting them involved in hands on learning is the best way to expose them to new opportunities and promote life preparedness."

Walker noted that 95 percent of the students enrolled in the HERO program graduate from high school as compared to the 3 percent high school graduation rate for the district. HERO offers support to the students throughout the year, with advisors working on-site during the school year.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Georgetown University Athletics has just announced Hoya Kids Club membership information. Memberships are available to kids in 8th grade and below; the cost is $25 per child. Benefits include:

Four free tickets to three select Georgetown Men's Basketball games

Free admission to all other regular season (non-men's basketball) sporting events

Special invitation to clinics, events and meet & greets with current Hoyas

E-Birthday card from Jack the Bulldog (the BEST benefit!)

Opportunity to be a ball kid during games

Georgetown University Athletics also recently announced that swim lessons for kids are also on tap this fall. Lessons are offered for kids from 2 1/2 to 10 years old. Registration starts in mid-August. Learn more online.

The Children's Art Studio is holding a Sewing Camp August 18 - 21, 2:30 - 4:30 pm. The class will teach students fundamental skills of hand sewing, learning how to thread a needle, tie knots, and sew a variety of stitches. During the time at camp, children will use their new skills to make engaging projects like small toys and useful accessories. The cost for the week is $150.

Monday, August 11, 2014

The Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia invites DC youth ages 18 to 25 to represent the District of Columbia in the 2014 International Youth Organization Forum and Beijing Sister-City Youth Camp. The events take place October 20 to 26, 2014 in Beijing, China.

Last year, there were 162 campers from Beijing's 32 sister cities from 26 countries who participated in the program. The participants spent a week in Beijing and took trips to such featured landmarks as the Forbidden City, Great Wall of China, and Peking University. The participants also had an opportunity to learn Chinese martial arts, calligraphy and traditional Chinese etiquette. In addition, the group was assigned a topic to present for a forum discussion.

The host in China will cover all expenses, including accommodation, meals, and local travel. The only costs incurred by the participants are the plane fare and the Visa application fee. This youth camp is one of the projects under the Washington and Beijing Sister City Agreement (PDF).

To be considered for this program, applicants need to submit the following information by Friday, August 29, 2014.

Brief description of yourself (including age and school attended)
and why you are the right candidate to represent the District in this program.

One page essay on this year's theme: The Role of Youth in the City's Sustainability Program. If you are selected, you and your teammates will be required to work collectively and prepare a paper and presentation n this topic for a forum of discussion in Beijing.

The Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia will conduct a selection process and choose the finalists by September 9, 2014. The
participants who are selected MUST be able to secure funding for roundtrip tickets Washington-Beijing (around $1,300) and pay the fee of $140 for a Chinese Visa. A passport is required that is valid until, at a minimum, the date of April 20, 2015.

This will be the District's second year of participation in a program co-hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, Beijing People's Association for Friendship with
Foreign Countries, and the Beijing Youth Federation.

the results prove that the minds of young creatives are not only brimming with illusions of fantasy and fun, but are also crafting in-depth solutions to real-world problems and integrating high-tech systems in their designs. the automobiles are innovative and original: from a car that fights pollution no matter the environment, to a new generation of school transportation and a vehicle that turns humidity into water.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Looking for something for your middle school student to do in August before school starts? You’re just in luck.

The 2014 East of the River Career Exposure Camp still has a few spaces available for its 2014 session beginning August 4th and ending August 8th. Join them for the 4th year of their unique program--explore career opportunities in Architecture, Aviation, and Banking.

Go to the forms section on the program's website for the student registration form and parent orientation form.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Do your children like the arts? Then consider registering them for the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop classes in the fall!

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Youth Arts Program is a dynamic curriculum of classes, performance, and exhibition opportunities emphasizing arts as a way of life for a lifetime. Students in the Youth Arts Program explore and create dance, theater, music, art, ceramics and photography while working in community with their peers.

Experienced and dedicated teaching artists encourage students to dream big, focus hard and commit with passion while investigating a wide array of artistic processes and techniques. Our goals are to help each student find his or her unique artistic voice, value artistic literacy and become life - long learners in the arts.

This past Tuesday, July 29, DC SCORES greeted special visitors--professional soccer player Javier Zanetti from Inter Milan and coaches from Manchester United!

Zanetti was fabulous with the kids, guiding them through a series of fun drills and then answering questions about playing professionally. The students were thrilled about being up close and personal with a professional soccer player and getting to talk to him about his experiences.

“I would ask him how long he would practice, because if I wanted to be a soccer player I need to know how I need to train,” camper Eryck E. said. Each camper also got their own autograph--be it their cleats, soccer balls, or even cellphones.

Later that afternoon, DC SCORES participants enjoyed a clinic led by the Manchester coaches. Coaches led drills that professional players go through on a regular basis.

“It was exciting because they were teaching us stuff that they also teach professional players,” Jose Q reflected. "It almost felt like we were able to step inside the shoes of a professional soccer player."

Additionally, the coaches encouraged everyone to stay focused and driven--this advice from established professionals made the experience even more meaningful!